By Roger Wallenstein

My friend Alan, a transplanted Chicagoan who lives in the Bay Area in California, wasn’t impressed last week when news arrived that Yasmani Grandal had signed the most lucrative contract in White Sox history.
Under a subject line of “Grandal? Really? A .241 lifetime hitter?” he wrote, “We already have a good catcher. We need an outfielder who can hit, and PITCHERS. Let’s hope the purse strings stay open awhile.”
Please understand. If there were a Mount Rushmore of White Sox fans in Northern California, my pal would be chiseled in stone. He watches every Sox telecast. On second thought, I’m not convinced that he so much as misses a pitch.

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Posted on November 25, 2019

By Roger Wallenstein

Year Three of The Rebuild
Has now come and gone.
Wouldn’t it have been nice
If the Sox had finished strong?
At the All-Star Game,
The boys were two games under.
But during the second half,
Things sure went asunder.

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Posted on October 1, 2019

By Roger Wallenstein

There is no shortage of critics when it comes to White Sox general manager Rick Hahn for making what many fans interpret as bone-headed moves since he became GM back in 2013.
He’s really taken it on the chin for the free agent signings of Yonder Alonso and Jon Jay prior to this season, purportedly to entice Manny Machado to join his brother-in-law and close friend, respectively. Of course, Machado opted for the multi-millions in San Diego where he’s hitting .251 while Alonso was released in early July after being a colossal flop for the Sox. Jay battled injuries before and during the season, earning his spot in White Sox lore as another failed free agent.
Then there was Ervin Santana, a veteran who had won 16 games two years ago and was trying a comeback after being injured most of last season. Santana’s tenure on 35th Street was good for about a month in which he started three games without lasting more than five innings in any of them.

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Posted on September 23, 2019

By Roger Wallenstein

“We were shooting truthfully to be .500 or better,” White Sox manager Rickey Renteria said a week ago. On Sunday, his team suffered its 84th loss in what will be its seventh consecutive losing season.
Renteria might be excused for his optimism for this season after last year’s edition, losers of 100 games, went 29-38 after the All-Star Game, a stark improvement over the first half of the season. And his bright and bushy prognostication looked reasonable when the action halted for the annual mid-season classic this past July as the Sox stood at 42-44.
However, just when we thought that .500 was within reach, the White Sox have had trouble beating almost anyone. After losing series’ last week to the Royals and Mariners, two teams with a combined 117-183 record, Renteria’s bunch sunk to 19 games under the break-even mark, thanks to a 23-40 showing in the second half.

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Posted on September 16, 2019

By Roger Wallenstein

Bobby Winkles, the baseball coach who won three NCAA championships at Arizona State before managing the Angels and A’s in the 1970s, tells the story about his near-miss at making the major leagues as an infielder in the White Sox organization in the 1950s.
Winkles had advanced all the way to Triple-A Indianapolis in 1959 when his manager, the old catcher Walker Cooper, summoned the young Winkles to his office.
“Bobby, there’s only one thing keeping you from being a major leaguer,” Coop said.
“What’s that, Skip?” enthused the fledgling youngster. “I’ll work on it.”
“Your ability,” said Cooper, and that was that. Winkles was finished as a player after that season.

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Posted on September 9, 2019

By Roger Wallenstein

His fastball frequently is clocked in triple digits. The curveball and changeup are rated 55/60 and 45/50, respectively, by FanGraphs. He was the freakin’ Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 2018.
Yet, Dylan Cease is finding out just how difficult it is to get hitters out in the major leagues. Part of the problem with guys like Cease and other hot prospects, not only with the Sox but throughout the baseball universe, is that the expectations and ballyhoo are so intense and lofty that anything less becomes a disappointment suffered by a portion of the faithful that you’d think their dog just died.

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Posted on September 2, 2019

By Roger Wallenstein

Look no further than the past week if you question whether the White Sox are a vastly improved aggregation than the dismal product of the past two rebuilding seasons.
The fellows won five of seven games against the division-leading Twins on the road and the struggling Texas Rangers at home. They now stand at 60-70, not enough to enthuse the most skeptical observers, but only two victories shy of the total for the entire 2018 season.

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Posted on August 26, 2019

By Roger Wallenstein

Had Twitter existed in 1949 when the Yankees hired future Hall of Fame manager Casey Stengel, the tweets would have lambasted the hallowed franchise’s management.
However, the world apparently was gentler and more polite 70 years ago, as exhibited by legendary sportswriter Tom Meany, who wrote in the Saturday Evening Post:
“There has been considerable speculation over the reaction of the old-line Yankees to the appointment of Stengel. It will be novel, to say the least, for them to be directed by a manager who thus far has gained more fame by his humor than by winning pennants.”
Stengel contributed mightily to his reputation by saying things like, “The secret to managing is to keep the five guys who hate you away from the four guys who haven’t made up their minds.”
But the consternation about Casey emanated from his record as much as from his behavior. In nine seasons guiding the old Brooklyn Dodgers and Boston Braves, his teams never finished higher than fifth in the eight-team National League and topped the .500 mark just one time. His winning percentage was .455.

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Posted on August 19, 2019

By Roger Wallenstein

As the sweet music fills the background at the very end of the story, Kevin Costner says, “Hey, Dad, you wanna have a catch?” After seeing the movie at least 10 times, I’m still a basket case at this point.
Field of Dreams isn’t my favorite baseball movie. It’s my favorite movie, period. Sure, there are some close seconds like To Kill a Mockingbird, A Few Good Men, and any of the Godfather flicks, but the adaptation of W.P. Kinsella’s Shoeless Joe hooks me, reels me in, and consumes me regardless of how many times I’ve seen it.

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Posted on August 12, 2019

By Roger Wallenstein

Watching the White Sox these days is somewhat similar to observing a would-be toddler preparing to walk. The little guy or gal first figures out that crawling is the lone available means to get from Point A to Point B. Once those stubby, little legs gain strength, standing, albeit holding onto something, becomes a bold endeavor, and the first wobbly, exploratory steps are soon taken to the delight of parents, grandparents and anyone who appreciates the marvels of how we humans develop.
However, it’s not that simple. That first step is celebrated, but crawling remains an option because that initial stride is followed by series of stumbles and plops. These kiddies are not foolish. They remember that motoring on all fours wasn’t so inconvenient after all. Literally, there is one step forward and a generous display of crawling until the steps become more secure and numerous, and off we go.
Eloy Jimenez is a case in point. Just two years ago he was hitting .345 at Double-A while last season he was slashing .355/.399/.996 at Charlotte – a sure sign that he was ready to walk into the major leagues. Sox loyalists clamored for the front office to promote the kid to the big time. Sort of like uber prospect Luis Robert today.

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Posted on August 5, 2019